You may have already heard about the small group of ANSWER Coaltion members who staged a lunchtime event Thursday to protest the District’s attempts to get them to stop gluing posters on to utility boxes. Two demonstrators, one an Iraq war veteran and the other the mother of another veteran, were arrested on charges of defacing public property. DCist Tom stumbled on to the scene and snapped these images with his phone — it’s…

Woe is all of us this morning, as the National Zoo has officially announced that Mei Xiang is not really pregnant after all. Real panda pregnancies are notoriously difficult to diagnose, and this time, unlike two years ago, the hormonal spike recently tracked in the mama panda was a symptom of a false pregnancy. Sniff. This makes Mei Xiang’s fourth pseudopregnancy. She had three before giving birth to Butterstick (aka Tai Shan), her only cub…

Six Points is underway! We imparted the general DCist wisdom about the bands participating in the first weekend last week, so we’re doing it again as the festival draws to a close. Have you been to any shows so far? Planning on going to any? What did you think? Thursday, 4/19 at DC9 Way back in 2005, DCist Tom had this to say about Lejeune: “…it’s the half-surf tones of Matthew Richardson’s clean, delayed hollowbody…

Leave your offices and go to Eighteenth Street Lounge! DCist Voting Rights Happy Hour kicks off at 6 p.m. Thanks to Flickr user kungpaocajun for use of his creative commons photo, and DCist Tom for his photoshopping skillz….

So, it seems like George Mason may have used up much of the region’s supply of NCAA tourney magic in last year’s dramatic run. Of the seven regional teams in this year’s tournament, only Georgetown survived the first weekend to make the Sweet 16 – stay tuned to DCist for more hoops coverage as the city unites behind the Hoyas. And before you ask: no, I’m not the least bit bitter about having a bracket…

Seeing as we’ve already effusively reviewed them twice, we figured that it was about time to step back and solicit your thoughts on The Hold Steady and their magical concert abilities. Were you at their Black Cat show Saturday night? Did you swig Budweiser and Jim Beam along with the band members? Were the songs lighter-worthy, or yawn-inducing? Did you find their presence powerfully earnest or overrated? A quick spin around the blogosphere shows that…

>> Okay, not technically voting news, but we’re convinced that Britney Spears is filing for divorce today in order to sway the elections in some manner. Perhaps going on a campaign of “Don’t Marry Total Effing Idiots”? [TMZ] >> Robocalling — the new hotness? Over on his personal blog, DCist Tom explains just how it’s done — and just how easy it is to do. Please don’t try this at home. Seriously. [Manifest Density]…

Public agencies are not generally known for their efficiency and oversight. Whether it’s the D.C. police, the public school system, or Congress itself, this kind of criticism has dogged just about every agency out there. While Metro has not been an exception to this trend, it seems they have things covered when it comes to potty privileges. DCist Tom snapped this picture of the rules and regulations governing use of Metro’s various johns, posted in…

The Capital Fringe Festival gets started in earnest today, with offerings all over town. Highlights include sci-fi dating, middle school antics, Canadian exports, songs for the deaf, a day-long performance piece, and spoonbending. It could be a little overwhelming if DCist weren’t here to guide you through it, no? So before we get into it, let us first introduce OUR AWESOME FRINGE FESTIVAL MAP, which details the locations of all Fringe venues, by date. Special…

We know, we’re totally buying into a PR stunt for the film adaptation of chick lit phenom The Devil Wears Prada by posting this. However, we also know that DCist readers love getting stuff for free. We’re torn between our love for you, and our high moral principles. Okay, stop laughing now. Stop. We mean it. Suggesting that we have principles is not that funny. Alright it’s a little funny. Without further ado, the people…